Fish-plate-forming machine.



PATENTED MAY 26, 1903.

' RIB. CHARLTON. I FISH PLATE FORMING MACHINE.

IAPPLIUATION FILED NOV. 1, 1901;

3- SHEETS-SHEET 1.

I0 IODEL. Y

INVENTOR:

Rpmuma filwammn,

TT0RNEYS WIITNESSIESQ PATENTBD MAY 26, 1903..

R. B. CHARLTON. A FISH PLATE FORMINGMACHINE,

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 1, 1901.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

1 10 MODEL.

WITNESSES: S INVENTOB'S aImwBSGW Zw lit 124m TTORNEYS v PATENTED MAY 26, 1903. R. B. CHARLTON. FISH PLATE FORMING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 1, 1901.

N0 MODEL.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

WITNESSES: INVENTOR.

T: NORRIS versus 00. mounmn. WASHKHGNN. o n,

Patented May 26, 1903.

RICHARD 1;. CHARLTON, or" MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO CON- TINUOUS RAIL JOINT JERSEY.

COMPANY OF AMERICA, A CORPORATION OF NEW FlSH-PLATE-FQRMING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent 1\f 729,488, dated May 26, 1903.

Application filed November 1, 1901. Serial No. 80,787. (No modeL) To all whom, it may concern/.-

Be it known that I, RICHARD B. CHARLTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee an d State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fish-Plate-Forming Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to the manufacture of that class of railway connections or fishplates represented by the one shown in my prior patent, No. 667,500, issued February 5, 1901, the objects of the present invention being to provide means for producing the truss formation shown in said patent; to facilitate the manufacture of the fish-plate; to prevent any distortion of the bar or drawing of the metal in forming said truss, to thus secure a true and uniform fish-plate which will accurately fit the rails, and to secure'other advantages and results, some of which may be referred to hereinafter in connection with the description of the working parts.

The invention consists in the improved fishplate-forming machine and in the arrangements and combinations of parts of the same, all substantially as will be hereinafter set forth and finally embraced in the clauses of the claim.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in each of the several figures, Figure 1 is a perspective view of my im} proved machine. Fig. 2 is a plan of the same; and Fig. 3 is a side elevation. Fig. 4 is a central longitudinal section on a larger "scale. 7 1

In said drawings, a indicates a suitable bed or support of any suitable construction, and upon said bed near one end is mounted a shaft 1), adapted to be rotated, preferably, by means to operate at every revolution a transverselydisposed head-piece 9, arranged to slide longitudinallyof the bed-frame (1. From said head-piece'g'rigid rods h h extend to a male die 1', lying across the bed-frame and to which the said "rods are connected so that said die moves with the head-piece g. Said male die, which cooperates 'with a female die j stationed at the end ofjthe bed-frame, is formed for the lowerpart of its face, as at i, to fit against the upright portion of a fish-plate on its contact sideandat its upper part has a projection to enterthe doubled portion of the fish-plate,which is adapted to inclose the base of the rail, r

The female die j is stationary except for a slight adjustment by screws is to secure its exact position and. is shaped at the upper part of its face next the male die to receive the outer surface of a fish-plate in inverted position, the doubled portion of said fish-plate overlying upon the-top of said die and exposing the basemember.

A fish-plate is put in place while the cam f is at its outward position, the male die being drawn away from the female die by counterbalance-weights Z, having connections Z with the head-piece g. The cam d then comes around and forces the dies together with tremendous pressure, thus straightening and rectifying the fish-plate.

Preferably the fish-plate is seated'between the two. dieswith its base member not bent into final angular relation to the rest'of the fish-plate, but left open more than is normal, so that the "male die is more easily seated.

To then press or bend this base member into normal relation to the rest of the fish-plate, I provide an auxiliary female die m, hinged or pivoted like a lever in bearings j on the rear upper part of the main female die j and adapted to have its forward portion pressed downward upon the base member of the fishplate by upward draft on the rear arm or porhaving rigid arms, one of which, 0, extends horizontally rearward and is connected by a link or loop 0' with the rear arm or extension of the auxiliary truss die m. The other rocker-arm,p, projects downwardly, forward,

and into the path of a cross-head q, extending across the bed-frame a and reciprocated by driving-rods q, eccentrically pivoted to the outer sides of the large gears c to receive a crank motion. As said cross-head q goes forward, therefore, it engages the arm 1) and operates the rocker to bring the auxiliary truss-die m down upon the base member of the fish-plate with great force.

To form the truss or girder in said base member of the fish-plate, the said auxiliary die is recessed at the middle of its front edge, as at m, so as to expose that portion of the base member to be bent up. An auxiliary male die 2', bolted to the cross-head qto project forward therefrom, is then adapted to engage such exposed portion of the base member after the female truss-die m has been brought into position and force up the truss or girder into said female die.

All the actions thus described are timed to take place in quick succession during a single rotation of the shaft Z), the fish-plate being first clamped between the main die members 'ij by the action of the cam f, the female truss-die on being then tipped into position by the first movement of the crosshead q, and, lastly, the male truss-die 2* being forced against the fish-plate by the last portion of the forward movement of the crosshead. Continued turning of the shaft 1) releases all the parts again, and the female truss-die m and rocker are returned to initial position by a weight 3 or other suitable means.

Various modifications from the exact mechanism described may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention-as, for instance, in the means of applying power to the diiferent die membersand I do not intend to limit myself by the descriptive terms employed except as the state of the art may require.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new is 1. In a machine for forming fish-plates having an upright portion and a doubled transversely-disposed portion having a trussed base member, the combination of a stationary die adapted at its side to receive the upright portion of a fish-plate and having at its top a seat for the double portion, a holding-die adapted to cooperate with the stationary die to grip the upright portion of the fish-plate and having a portion projecting into the recess of the doubled portion of the fish-plate, a bending-die adapted to force the base member of the fish-plate down upon said projection of the holding-die and being recessed to expose a portion of said member, a trussforming die adapted to enter said recess in the bending-die, and means for operating said dies in orderly sequence.

2. In a machine for forming fish-plates having an upright portion and a doubled transversely-disposed portion having a trussed base member, the combination of a stationary die adapted at its side to receive the upright portion of a fish-plate and having at its top a seat for the doubled portion, a holding-die adapted to cooperate with the stationary die to grip the upright portion of the fish-plate and having a portion projecting into the recess of the doubled portion of the fish-plate, a bending-die hinged to the said stationary die and adapted to engage the base member of the doubled portion of the fish-plate, and means for swinging said hinged die to bend the said base member down upon the projecting portion of the holding-die, substantially as set forth.

3. In a machine for forming fish-plates having an upright portion and a doubled transversely-disposed portion having a trussed base member, means for gripping the upright portion of a fish-plate and holding the doubled portion with its base member exposed, a pivoted bending-die adapted to force said base member into its final angular relation to the other parts and being recessed at its face to expose aportion of said base member, a trussforming die adapted to enter said recess in the bending-die, and means for operating.

4. In a machine for forming fish-plates having an upright portion and a doubled transversely-disposed portion having a trussed base member, cooperating gripping dies adapted to grasp the upright portion and adjacent member of the doubled portion of the fish-plate and one forming at its top a second die-surface, a bending-die hinged to the other gripping-die and adapted to cooperate with the said second die-surface of the first gripping-die, said bending-die having at its side a second diesurface, a truss-forming die adapted to cooperate with said second die-surface of the bending-die, and means for operating said dies in the order stated.

5. In amaehine for forming fish-plates having an upright member and an angular or V- shaped portion, the combination with means for engaging said upright member to hold the fish-plate in inverted position, of auxiliary dies for forcing the base member of said V- shaped portion into proper angular relation and bending up an edge portion of said base member to form a truss 0r girder.

o. In a machine for forming fish-plates of the character described, the combination of main die members adapted to hold the fishplate with its base member free, an auxiliary female truss-die adapted to engage said base member and being recessed to expose an edge portion of said base member, an auxiliary male truss-die adapted to engage such exposed portion of the base member, and means for operating.

7. The combination with the bed-plate (1, having at opposite ends the stationary diej, and driving-shaft b, of a gripping-die i, adapted to cooperate with said stationary die, and a cam f, upon the said shaft adapted to operate said gripping-die, a bending-die m, hinged to said stationary die, a rocking lever engaging said bending-die, and a cross-head eccen- I 8. The combination With the bed-plate a,

having at Opposite ends the stationary die j, and driving-shaft Z), of a gripping-die 2', adapted to cooperate with said stationary die, a cam f, upon the said shaft adapted to operate the said gripping-die, a bending-die m, hinged to said stationary die and having a truss-forming recess in its side, a rocking lever engaging said bending-die, a cross-head eccentrically connected to the shaft 1), and adapted to be reciprocated thereby to engage said rocking lever, and a truss-forming die on said crosshead adapted to enter said truss-forming recess.

9. In a machine for forming fish-plates having an upright portion and a doubled transversely-disposed portion having a trussed base member, a bed-plate a, means at one end for gripping the upright portion of a fish-plate and holding the doubled portion With'its base member eXposed,a pivoted bending-die adapted to force said base member into final angular relation to the other parts and being recessed at its face to expose a portion of said base member, a rocking lever adapted to engage at one end said bending-die, a reciprocating cross-head adapted to engage the other end of said lever to operate the bending-die, and a truss-forming die carried upon said cross-head and adapted to enter the said recess of the bending-die after said die has been closed upon the basemember of a fish-plate.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this 29th day of October, 1901.

RICHARD B. CHARLTON.

- Witnesses:

HUGH P. KAYE, Jr., PAUL H. EsTEs. 

